


one for all

by Anonymous



Category: ONEWE (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon Compliant, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-26
Updated: 2020-05-26
Packaged: 2021-03-02 23:14:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,603
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24364876
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/
Summary: If you could rewind time, do you see yourself forming this band again?More than just being fated, more than it just being coincidence. They knew that they were here as a member of the band for a reason.
Comments: 2
Kudos: 32
Collections: Anonymous





	one for all

**Author's Note:**

> : for ONE-shots for ONE

_"What made you start writing music?"_

He smiled at the question, remembering the time he first decided to learn music. "I've always loved music." He answered the interviewer. "At a young age, I was already fascinated with music. I have taken music lessons since young and as I grew up I learnt music in many different ways. I started writing when I was in school and I don't think I've ever stopped since then." 

_"The band must mean a lot to you, right?"_

"Absolutely." 

_"The band was formed even before you came here. Care to tell us how it happened?"_

He smiled at the interviewer, eyes sparkling bright as he recalled the memories of almost half a decade ago. 

  
  
  


"Gi~wook-ah!" Dongmyeong yelled, hitting Giwook's shoulders harshly that he jumped in his seat. 

Giwook whined. "Why must you jump me like that?" 

Dongmyeong merely giggled as he pulled a chair from someone else's table, placing it in front of Giwook to sit facing him. "You're always daydreaming. It's not my fault that you got startled. I wasn't even planning to quietly jump you from behind." 

"Still, you could have just tapped me like a normal person." Giwook countered, not one to back down when it came to arguing with Dongmyeong.

"And where's the fun in that?" 

Giwook sighed. "You're lucky I don't have a weak heart or I'll probably have fainted with the amount of time you jumped me from behind." 

"You're strong, Giwook, you won't faint over this little thing. Plus, you can't faint on me! Who's going to be my best friend then?" Dongmyeong said, lips jutting out in a pout and eyes widening. 

"You literally know half of the school population, Dongmyeong. I don't think making friends is a problem for you." Giwook pointed out. 

"But they're not half as fun as you are," Dongmyeong replied. 

Giwook smiled. It shouldn't make him feel like a flustered high school girl, but it was nice knowing that Dongmyeong would still choose him over anyone else. Now that Dongmyeong was right in front of him, the question that had been lingering on his mind since last weekend was back on the forefront of his brain. 

He could simply ask Dongmyeong the question. The other would either accept or reject Giwook's suggestion. But that was it. Giwook couldn't help the nervousness bubbling inside him, afraid of Dongmyeong's rejection. Of course, rejection wasn't necessarily bad yet it made Giwook fidget in anxiousness. If Dongmyeong rejected the offer then they would just find another person to fill in that spot. It wasn't an awful thing to happen per se, only that Giwook might be a little selfish and wanted Dongmyeong to fill in that spot instead of some random stranger. 

He had heard Dongmyeong's singing. He had even seen Dongmyeong win a children's singing competition. There was no doubt that Dongmyeong's singing was marvelous and could easily fill in the vocalist spot that was left bare. 

It didn't hurt to ask, right? Giwook raised his head to look at Dongmyeong. The other tilted his head to the side in a questioning manner. He was waiting for Giwook to say something and he was about to voice out that question, words already formulating in his head. Timing wasn't apparently Giwook's forte as it seemed when their classroom door opened and their teacher came in. Dongmyeong turned towards him, smiling as he stood up and placed a hand on Giwook's shoulder briefly before leaving for his seat. 

"See you after class," Dongmyeong said as Giwook watched him take his seat. 

Giwook sighed. Well, there was always after school for him to ask Dongmyeong.

  
  
  


Giwook did not ask Dongmyeong the question even when they were done with school for the day. 

There was a muffled screeching noise that he made at the back of his throat. He was frustrated at himself for it. He shouldn't be _that_ nervous to ask a friend for a favour. Dongmyeong wasn't one to shut him down quickly. He was understanding and kind and Giwook shouldn't be this nervous to ask Dongmyeong to be their vocalist. But in Giwook's defense, it was still considered a big deal. They weren't trying to hit worldwide as soon as they found a vocalist, no, that's still a far away dream. They were just trying to form a band together. 

That was a big deal, wasn't it? Forming a band was one thing, but forming a band with his friends was like dunking himself in cold water, bringing the rest with him. If everything went well, it could strengthen their friendship; if it backfired however, their friendship was the one at risk. 

Harin looked at him pitifully from where he was sitting. Giwook had been going through a crisis since the moment he walked into the studio and he felt bad for the younger. 

"Are you okay there, kid?" Harin asked him. 

Giwook looked up, frowning as his eyes met Harin's. "I'm not a kid." 

Harin merely snorted. "Okay, okay. Whatever you say, _kid."_ Giwook huffed at him and Harin laughed pleasantly. "Did you find us a vocalist?" 

Giwook looked away. The microphone stand placed at one corner of the room suddenly looked way more interesting. 

"No," he answered Harin.

"No?" Harin asked, an eyebrow arched. "I thought you told Hyungu you had that spot covered."

"I can be the vocalist,"

"Can you sing and play the bass at the same time?" 

"...Not really" 

Harin sighed. "Okay, Giwook, what is it? What's having you all twisting in your guts about our potential vocalist? Is he secretly an asshole?"

"No." Giwook answered immediately, frowning. "Dongmyeong is _far_ from an asshole." 

"Okay, so, Dongmyeong. We have his name now, that must mean you know him, right?" Harin asked. 

Giwook nodded his head. "Yeah, he's my friend. I've known him for a long time now." 

"Then? What seems to be the problem here?"

"I don't know how to bring up about being a vocalist for our band to him," 

Harin hummed at this. "Well, that doesn't seem to be such a big issue. He's your friend right? That means you guys know each other well enough. Just go up to him and ask him, 'hey, do you want to start a band?' and be done with it." 

"It's not as easy as it sounds," Giwook mumbled. 

"How is it not easy? It's literally the same sentence I told Hyungu and the same one we told you," 

Giwook made an incoherent noise. He looked at Harin with a troubled face which made Harin feel guilty for making the other look for a vocalist for their band. "I don't know why it's so hard, I just- I think it's a big responsibility to just throw on him." 

"You're not throwing it on him, Giwook." Harin reminded him. "You're asking him to join us. He has the choice to either agree or reject us. You're not forcing him to do something that was against his will." 

Harin had a point. The same point that Giwook had repeatedly told himself. He wasn't forcing Dongmyeong into anything. He was sure if given the offer, Dongmyeong would probably accept it. Music was something Dongmyeong was interested in, just as much as Giwook did. He even started learning the piano when he heard Giwook had started learning bass. He doubted Dongmyeong would outrightly reject the offer of being their vocalist, so really, Giwook wasn't sure why he was skittish over asking Dongmyeong to be their vocalist. 

Maybe it was the fear that Dongmyeong wouldn't mix well with the other two members of the band. Dongmyeong had only heard briefly about Harin and Hyungu; while the other two barely knew of his existence. Giwook had never let those two worlds of his collide yet. For a long time, he had let his music-loving, bass prodigy self hidden under the bed with only Dongmyeong seeing only the barest hint of it. As for his regular self, the one who went to school with Dongmyeong and awkwardly interacted with his schoolmates were masked with his charismatic performance at their music academy. 

It was like living double lives except none of it was something he was extremely proud about. He loved his bass and he liked his relatively quiet self at school and he enjoyed keeping it separated. So to let even an inch of that doorway to either of those worlds opened seemed to be a leap of courage. 

He knew that Dongmyeong would probably click well with Harin and Hyungu. Dongmyeong was friendly and charming which made it impossible for people to hate. Harin would immediately jump into being his friend. Hyungu might take some time with his slightly cold personality. But they would definitely mesh well with each other. 

"If it bothers you so much, we can look for another vocalist." Harin chimed in. "Hyungu might be a little bit annoyed at this but he has a soft spot for you that you'll probably get away easily." 

"If I introduce Dongmyeong to the both of you, Hyungu wouldn't scare him away with his Kendo skills, right?" Giwook asked. 

"Hyungu scared me with his Kendo skills when we first met." Harin answered him simply. "I think that's just his way of making friends. You can introduce us to Dongmyeong, it's not like we'll harm your best friend. We're not that scary, or else you wouldn't have ended up here." 

Giwook winced. "Okay, but if he decided to dropkick Dongmyeong for being the sun personified I would not hesitate to throw away his guitar picks." 

Harin merely laughed. "Hyungu might seem like a cool bad boy but he's still a dork. Plus, he has a soft spot for you. If you throw away his guitar picks he probably wouldn't even bat an eye at this."

  
  
  


Okay, maybe Giwook overthink for absolutely no reason at all. He sat there in the fast food chain, Dongmyeong animatedly talking and Hyungu listening to him with all of his attention on him. Hyungu – Kang Hyungu who was the so-called cool bad boy at their music academy; the one who stared at people with a poker face; the same person that almost all of the choir girls had a crush on because of his nonchalant attitude – was listening to Dongmyeong intently with a soft look in his eyes. Giwook sighed out in disbelief. 

Maybe it was the Dongmyeong charm that worked on Hyungu. Giwook knew even he couldn't resist _the_ Dongmyeong charm – the sun personified, happy-go-lucky attitude the other seemed to carry. It must have thawed it's way to Hyungu's heart for the other to look at Dongmyeong with absolute adoration. 

Giwook turned to look at Harin. The other gave him a look that meant 'didn't I tell you?' and Giwook merely rolled his eyes at him. Okay, fine, perhaps Giwook did overthink for nothing. 

They already asked Dongmyeong if he wanted to join their band. Dongmyeong, with his bright eyes and smile, nodded his head enthusiastically stating that _'of course I would! I've always wanted to start a band. OMG, can I play the keyboard for our band?'._ Needless to say, it went well. They not only had a vocalist but even a keyboardist now too. Thus currently they had Hyungu geeking out with Dongmyeong about music like he did with Giwook when they first met. Not much of a surprise, really.

"Oh, but I can't be the only vocalist," Dongmyeong said, interrupting the initial conversation they were having. 

Dongmyeon's mind worked a mile per second. It was no surprise he would suddenly halt their previous conversation to voice out his current thought. They blinked at him. 

"Why not?" Giwook asked him. 

"Because I have to play the keyboard, duh." Dongmyeong answered. "We can get rid of the keyboard if you guys want to – even though I would like to contribute my piano skills – but basically I can't really sing and play the keyboard at the same time. It's not impossible, just a little bit difficult. Also, it wouldn't make for a fun crowd engagement if the lead vocalist isn't at the center." 

There was a short silence as everyone at the table took in Dongmyeong's explanation. Well, he did have a point. Maybe they should discard the keyboardist idea?

"We can keep the keyboard." Hyungu answered. 

Of course Hyungu wouldn't let the keyboard idea go. He was practically smitten over Dongmyeong now. He wouldn't let that idea go if it was something Dongmyeong wanted to do. If it was something Hyungu had control of, it was letting everyone have anything they wanted just so they could be happy. 

"It's a good idea to incorporate a keyboard into our music especially if we're aiming for indie music," Hyungu explained and Dongmyeong beamed at him. Hyungu softened even more, if that was possible. "So I guess we'll just look for someone else to be the lead vocalist. Dongmyeong could still be a sub vocalist for the band."

"Someone who has a wide vocal range and experience would be better." Dongmyeong suggested. "I only sing casually so I might not be that good," 

"I know someone." Harin piped in. 

Hyungu looked at him, an eyebrow arched. "Do all of you happen to know at least one vocalist?" 

Harin shrugged his shoulders. "It's good to have connections," he merely replied. "He's a friend of a friend. I know him briefly but I've seen him sing once or twice at competitions. As far as I know, he studied music for some time." 

"Do you have his number?" Hyungu asked. 

There was a pause as they stared expectantly at Harin. They watched as red coloured his face and Harin looked flustered. "I can ask my friend?" 

They collectively sighed at him. 

"Hey, it's not exactly a bad idea!" Harin defended himself. 

"It's not, but it's good to tease you once in a while," Giwook answered cheekily in which Harin pouted at him. Sometimes Giwook wondered who actually was the older one between them. 

Hyungu clapped his hand together. "Okay, get that friend's number. Let's go get us a lead vocalist," 

"Let's go!" Dongmyeong cheered on, followed by Giwook and Harin. 

  
  
  


Yonghoon hummed to himself as he kicked over the pebbles on the ground. His mother was busy preparing lunch in the kitchen and Yonghoon debated whether he should go and help her or not. He wanted to, really, but he didn't think he had the strength to go over and helped her. His mind took back to a conversation he had a few days back, leaving him with a bitter feeling. 

_"It's not just a chance anymore, Yonghoon. It's a war. You either make it or you don't. It's most likely none of us will make it. We might as well leave now or we'll end up just wasting our years here,"_

Yonghoon sighed, picking at the grass in his family home's garden. His friend did have a good reason for his departure. Still, Yonghoon couldn't believe he would give up on the dream so easily. Of course, being a trainee isn't easy. No one said they would debut immediately as soon as they entered. It was the hard work that made it all worthwhile when they debuted later on, right? Yonghoon threw away the grass that he had picked on earlier, his mother was going to be angry at him if she knew. 

Who was he kidding though? It might not be as long as the rest of his trainee friends, but it was still a long time for Yonghoon. He knew he should be patient, wait for a little longer, maybe that chance was there except it wasn't near his reach yet. Time was unkind, unfortunately and waiting felt like a fruitless journey. He couldn't continue to wait aimlessly. He wasn't growing younger with every passing minute. Waiting just didn't seem the ideal option for him at the moment. 

"Yonghoon-ah," His mother called out gently. Yonghoon turned to look at her, smiling. "Food is ready, come on in." 

He followed her wordlessly into the kitchen, sitting down at their dining table. There was his family too. Yonghoon didn't want to disappoint them. He knew they trusted him, had faith in his decision with life yet Yonghoon didn't want them to feel like he was taking their trust for granted. He wanted to be more than just a trainee who practiced till the sun rose again and waited for something that felt out of reach.

"How is training, Yonghoon?" His father asked him, as they seated at the table for lunch. 

"It's going fine," Yonghoon said, taking a nervous gulp. "If I told you I wanted to quit, what would you say?" 

"But why?" His mother asked. "I thought you said it was going fine?" 

"It is, I just don't think it's worth it." Yonghoon sighed out. 

"Is it a choice you thought about thoroughly?" His father asked. Yonghoon nodded his head meekly. "Then it's your decision to be made, Yonghoon. We have no say in it." 

"Won't you be disappointed in me?" Yonghoon asked them. 

"For what? Choosing a future for yourself? It's your life, Yonghoon-ah. We wouldn't force you to do something you're no longer interested in." His mother said. 

"But the money you spent for my training…"

"Is worth much less than your happiness," His mother cut him off. "Honey, I've never seen you this sad since you were a child. If training or being an idol isn't making you happy then it's better to end it at where you are. Money, we could find, but your happiness means a lot more to us." 

"Okay. I'm sorry," Yonghoon mumbled. 

"Don't be. We're not mad at you, Yonghoon." His father said. "Maybe a little saddened that we wouldn't hear you sing as much," 

Yonghoon smiled at them. "Maybe I'll be a vocal teacher instead. I still have that qualification." 

"If that's what you want to pursue, then why not?" His mother told him. "Though, there is a singing competition happening next weekend," 

"Honey…" 

"It's a suggestion, dear. Maybe going on a singing competition again can bring that joy back to him," 

"I'll look into it." Yonghoon replied, not one to disappoint his parents. 

"Or you can just spend that weekend helping your mother out in the garden, Yonghoon. Don't force yourself into something you don't want to." 

Yonghoon merely smiled at his father. Training had taken away a lot of things from him. His time with his parents, his joy for singing and his hopefulness. He didn't think going to another singing competition would turn back time or give him back the things he had lost on his way to so-called success. But it wouldn't hurt to try, right? One last performance before he said goodbye to music for maybe forever. 

  
  
  


"Why are we going to a singing competition?" Hyungu asked as they got down at one of the bus stations. 

It was getting late into the evening. Hyungu wasn't sure the two middle school students were allowed to go out this late by their parents. He looked at Harin, wondering why they were being dragged to the other side of town for a singing competition. The only one who could sing between the four of them was Dongmyeong. Even then, the other didn't sign up for said singing competition so it didn't make sense why Harin would drag them here. 

"That potential vocalist I told you about. My friend said he's participating in this singing competition," Harin explained as they walked to the venue of the competition. "I thought we should see him sing before we decide to have him join our band." 

"Sounds like a good idea," Dongmyeong chirped in, ever so positive. 

It was hard to be mad at Harin for dragging them out here when the other two seemed to be on board with this. Hyungu sighed, massaging his temples. They arrived at the venue and took a seat. The competition looked like it would start soon. 

"Do you know his name at least?" Hyungu asked. 

"Jin Yonghoon, he's older than us." Harin answered. 

The competition started. It was on a smaller scale, possibly with participants from around the area only. There were still quite a number of contestants however. It was almost two hours after the competition had started and there was still no one by the name of Jin Yonghoon. Hyungu took note of the other few singers who he thought sang splendidly in case this Yonghoon fella wasn't competing for the day. At least he would have a back-up for their potential lead vocalist. 

"Are you sure the guy is competing?" Hyungu whispered at Harin when there were only a few contestants left to compete. 

Harin nodded his head. "Yeah. My friend even gave me a picture of him. I'm sure this hyung is competing." 

"Well, if he ends up not showing up I'll drop kick you with my Kendo skills." 

Turned out, Hyungu didn't need to dropkick Harin – which was a little bit unfortunate in his opinion. The emcee finally announced their last contestant for the night which was someone by the name of Jin Yonghoon. Seeing how Harin kept nudging at him when the male contestant came out to perform, Hyungu guessed this was their potential lead vocalist. Truthfully, Hyungu didn't know what to expect. 

He certainly did not expect Jin Yonghoon to have a voice of an angel. Hyungu had goosebumps as Yonghoon sang an old ballad with the most stable voice he had heard. Not even the choir girls at their music academy had that range and stability. To say that Hyungu wasn't mesmerised by Yonghoon's performance was an understatement. He was definitely entranced by the other's voice. And he wasn't the only one as the other three who were with him had their mouths agaped when Hyungu looked at them after Yonghoon left the stage. 

"He's the vocalist we need." Giwook said with finality. 

Of course, even if Giwook wasn't his favourite – _"I don't have a soft spot for Giwook, Harin." –_ he would still ask Yonghoon to be their vocalist. Because _goodness_ that voice should be a gift from heaven. He stood up abruptly, urging the others to leave their seats quickly before they announced the competition's winner. 

"Up, up, up all of you!"

"What? Where are we going? I want to see who wins!" 

"Well, we're going to congratulate Yonghoon hyung before they announce it because obviously he's going to win." 

They arrived at the side of the stage just moments before they announced the winner. True to Hyungu's words, Yonghoon did win the competition. Obviously he would, no way anyone could beat his range. They waited for a little while as Yonghoon accepted his winning prize and the event organizers took a commemorative picture. It took them another 10 minutes of waiting before Yonghoon came down stage and Hyungu walked over to him. 

"Yonghoon-ssi," Hyungu called out to him, gaining the attention of the winner. "Congratulations for winning." 

Yonghoon smiled gently at him and perhaps Hyungu melted a little on the inside. Yonghoon seemed kind, maybe he just earned a soft spot in Hyungu's heart. "Thank you. I'm sorry, but do I know you?" 

"I don't think so. Harin's friend is a friend of yours though," Hyungu said, gesturing over at Harin. 

Yonghoon looked at Harin, frowning briefly before a look of recognition passed by him. "Ilhoon's friend? I think I've seen you once or twice." 

Hyungu watched as Harin nodded his head before Giwook and Dongmyeong nudged him at the side. He looked at them and watched as Giwook tilted his head, gesturing at Yonghoon. Hyungu rolled his eyes. He was going to ask Yonghoon. Could they be patient for a moment? 

"Actually, we came here for a reason," Hyungu said. Yonghoon nodded his head, asking him to go on. "We're actually forming a band and we were thinking, would you like to be our vocalist?" 

Yonghoon looked at him, eyes wide. It was now or never. If Yonghoon rejected their offer, then they would have to look for another vocalist. Or ask Dongmyeong to discard his keyboardist idea and have him solely for vocals. Hyungu shivered. He hoped he didn't have to brace himself for that disappointed look on Dongmyeong's face. There was a pregnant silence as he waited for Yonghoon to gather his thoughts together. Then, they watched as he opened his mouth to reply. 

  
  
  


"If you were given a chance to turn back time, would you look for the members if they haven't found you first?" The interviewer asked. 

Yonghoon grinned at him. "Of course. In every lifetime, I would look for them." 

"You sure cherish them a lot," The interviewer commented. 

"More than words could describe." 

  
  
  


Yonghoon exhaled softly as he left the room. The interview made him feel a little nostalgic that Yonghoon couldn't help but feel a little choked up. He didn't cry, yet it felt like the tears would drop any moment now. 

"Yonghoon hyung's done!" He heard Dongmyeong's voice ringing loud and clear in the hallways and he raised his head to look at the younger. 

"Are you crying?" Hyungu asked him as the whole band approached him. 

"No." Yonghoon lied. "I have dust in my eyes." 

"Isn't that what people who cried always use as an excuse?" Harin commented. 

"That's such an old excuse though. Make up something new, hyung," Giwook said. 

Yonghoon rolled his eyes at them. "Stop bullying me I'm older than all of you." 

"You're older than all of us combined!" Dongmyeong teased him. 

"I never said that!" Yonghoon spluttered. 

"You know what they say, the oldest one has to treat the younger ones." 

"No one says that." 

"Come on hyung, treat us to food. I'm hungry. I want chicken! Chicken!" 

"But I want pizza," 

"Then we can ask Yonghoon hyung to buy both! Let's go!" 

"Wait-" He never got to stop them as he watched Harin, Dongmyeong and Giwook leave the area. Yonghoon stared at them in disbelief. Hyungu laughed as he patted Yonghoon on the shoulder. 

"Okay hyung, I want Kimchi fried rice alright?" Hyungu said before he followed the other three. 

Yonghoon stared at their retreating figures, shaking his head before he followed them from behind. He slung his arms over Dongmyeong and Giwook's shoulders and pulled them both into a near chokehold. The youngest duo whined at him while Harin and Hyungu laughed amusedly. So maybe his wallet was getting thinner, but at least Yonghoon's heart was feeling fuller. 

  
  
  


(There was a pregnant silence as Yonghoon stared at the four young students before him. He let the words of one of them sink into him. _A band?_ Yonghoon never thought of that honestly. He thought he was done with music. But entering tonight's competition and winning it no less, had given him second thoughts. 

He thought maybe he would have continued as a vocal trainer seeing as he still enjoyed singing even though it wasn't as much as before. Looking at the four males before him though, it felt like just being a vocal trainer wasn't as fulfilling. Two of them – that Yonghoon guessed were barely even in high school seeing as how young they looked – stared at him with hopeful eyes. That same hopeful eyes that he used to have when he was younger. The same youth and innocence he craved to experience once again even if his age didn't permit. He thought about it one last time before he decided on something. 

Then, he opened his mouth to reply. "Okay. I'll join your band.")

**Author's Note:**

> [twitter](https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://twitter.com/twilusrose&ved=2ahUKEwjg4fO8g87pAhVWwTgGHeo7BIoQFjABegQIBRAI&usg=AOvVaw0q_0pB1SgwIGFTWOLJbGfZ)


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